Google Adds Voice Search Functionality To Their iOS App, Siri’s In For Some Competition

Today, Apple approved a rather significant update that was submitted by Google for their dedicated iOS search app. According to Google, the update adds “most advanced voice search” to their iOS app. With a new integrated “Voice” search button, the app is now capable of translating voice input and intelligently retrieving results, similar to the built-in voice functionality of Jelly Bean.

With the app’s latest update, users can get forecast updates, information on movies, look up pictures and much more – here’s a list of a handful of examples from Google:

– ‘What does Yankee Stadium look like?’ Google will show you hundreds of pictures instantly. – ‘Play me a trailer of the upcoming James Bond movie.’ The trailer starts playing immediately right within Google Search. -‘When does daylight savings time end?’ The answer will appear above the search results, so you can set your clock without having to click on a link. -‘Who’s in the cast of The Office?’ See a complete cast list and find out who made you crack up last night.

During our own tests we’ve determined Google’s service to be faster and snappier than Siri and recognizes words and translates them into text as they’re spoken. The app’s voice search function also works on devices that lack Siri support as long as they’re on at least iOS 4.3 and have a built-in microphone.

If you’re interested in downloading the free, updated version of Google Search, here’s a direct download link. Stay tuned for more updates on iOS, Google’s search app and iDevices in general.